Get what you want, regardless of the upgrade. If you aren't going to use the features, it is just as you said...taking up real estate. I also would insist on them picking it up and delivering the one you want. They probably will have to order it again, so I would also insist that they let you use this one while you wait for the new one....

I'd return it, for the reasons you gave - you'd never use the extra feature AND the icemaker takes up space inside the fridge that you'd rather use for something else.

If they are really features that you wouldn't be taking advantage of & it bothers you, than sure, I'd return it.

Since it's their mistake, I'd ask them to deliver the correct unit and remove the wrong one. They might not go for it, but I'd try hard. :-) It is obviously an inferior unit because it doesn't have a continuous door front and it has reduced capacity in the most used area. Make 'em take it back.

I get what you want especially if you'll never hook it up. I've never had those features for the reasons you stated and the mess it makes on the floor.

Can you sell it and keep the extra $1400?

They will make you another offer, which puts hundreds of dollars credited to your credit card. It happened to me when I said "no" to what they delivered.

Maybe they will give you an extended warranty on the icemaker too. Since it's a hassle when they are the first to go, and they usually are the first thing to break down.

A couple only need 7 or 8 cubic feet of fridge space. A family, more. So I think you can manage your space well.

HTH

Well, I'd keep it and enjoy the extra features and the fact that you got a bargain. You don't say what brand it is but in my KA, for example, the icemaker is mainly in the door and doesn't take up that much real estate. My previous fridge only had an internal icemaker and it wasn't all that convenient. I really love having the ice through the door - the water less so. Frankly, the ice maker and water always get a workout when I have people over. If you don't hook it up, guests will probably still try to use it! Once you start using it you'll probably get hooked.

If you got the Kenmore Elite, you got an LG. The non-icemaker one is made by Maytag I believe (my mom has that one). I like the LG better even though we never used the icemaker (Frigidaire) on the one we sold with our old house. The LG SS FD has 2 crisper drawers and a deli drawer. The other has a huge deli drawer you have to open both doors to get into. My mom now hates it and uses it for things she doesn't use that often. We are a family of 4 and I have enough room even with the icemaker. We use the water all the time, and the always-full ice bucket is nice for parties or to fill the cooler for a picnic. Only downside (so far) is the $50 filters they tell you to replace 4x/yr. I replaced the first after 9 months, and 2nd has been more than 9 months (I just reset the alert, have filter ready to go if water starts tasting off).

Just tell them you didn't order it, get them to give you extended warranty on icemaker and maybe see if they'll hook the icemaker up no charge since you have it you might as well use it. If they won't hook it up for you and it's more hassle than you want just to try it and see if you might use it, then at least get them to give you extended warranty/service plan on the fridge.

We also found it to be a selling point (I think more than just the fridge being 1-yr old SS) when we sold our old house, even though we told them we hadn't hooked it up "yet" since the fridge that died didn't have an icemaker. So I'd keep it just for that reason if you think you might be selling in a few years.

Yeah, Davidro is so right, you don't really need room in your fridge. You never entertain, you shop daily, you never cook and freeze, you don't make soup, you don't lay in supplies, you eschew condiments, you hate ice cream, you don't need the mid-level storage because you need the exercise bending down to get to the knee level stuff. Nope. You don't need the right fridge at all.

I like Melanie's suggestion if they won't fix the mistake: Sell the wrong fridge for more than what the right one costs and apply the profit to having it delivered.

you don't have to hook up the icemaker if you don't want to. the fridge will still work. the serial number should be on the unit somewhere.

you will need it when you call the manufacturer to get informataion, manuals parts, etc.

they will also tell you when the unit was built and if it was preowned and returned.

Don't be impressed because the unit is more expensive than what you wanted.

Sears is letting you keep it because it is expensive for them to pick up the unit from your residence and they might have difficulty reselling it. maybe that unit is being phased out.

I've passed on having a thru the door icemaker on my SS friges because I saw a friend that had calcified water streaks down the front of his.

I would really rethink the option of keeping it. We have a ice/water on the door of our fridge and I can't believe that I didn't have one before. I never drank water, even though we all know how good it is for you, because I only liked it ice cold. Dealing with the ice cube trays was too much trouble. Now we all drink ice water all the time. The ice is also very convenient for ice tea in the summer, soda and oh ya' - that occassional cocktail or two. I would be curious as to what a survey would show as to whether or not members of this board are pleased that they purchased this feature. I think more would be happy than regretful.

But the bottom line, after you think it all through, it is still your home, your lifestyle, and your decision.

Thanks for taking the time to respond everyone - I really appreciate it!
It's a Kenmore Elite.

Still trying to decide what to.
Problem is that it was a royal PITA to get inside the house and into the kitchen without damaging our new (3 day old) flooring in 2 rooms. DH is terrified we won't be so lucky with the removal and replacement. Wow, is he ever one unhappy man at the moment...

Doesn't help that he had no idea it was going to be 36" wide. Poor guy thought it would just be the same size as the 35 year old fridge we're replacing. He conveniently seems to have forgotten saying I could order *any* appliances I wanted after painting the entire house myself - ha!
He just keeps muttering about how big it is.

Dawn

My DH wanted an ice/water dispenser, so we got a fridge that had it (~7 years ago). I don't think the ice maker takes up too much freezer space when you consider trying to make level space for ice trays, and I find it VERY convenient to have automatic ice.

We have a four-year-old and another on the way; the 4yo can get himself his own water from the water dispenser whenever he's thirsty. I LOVE seeing him do that because I think it's better for him to drink water. I drink almost only water as well, and DH has learned to drink more water and less soda over the years we've had this fridge (specifically, so he says, because he can have ice-cold water and the convenience of automatic ice).

Another convenience is that the fridge is on the opposite side of our kitchen from the sink--a water dispenser in the fridge helps to keep "drink traffic" away from the busier work area.

I think you should keep it and allow yourself the luxury/convenience of in-door ice and water.

oooh, being in the market for the fridge you accidently got, I wish I had your problem ;-).

If you use it, I am betting you'll get hooked. Filtered dispensed water is so much cleaner/safer/better tasting than bottled or tap. You'll never go back to tap or bottled again.

From a fellow lover of a refrig without water and ice I can really understand your position. If it was me I would demand they exchange it because I don't like or want ice/water in my refrig. You have to do what suits you and your family. In CD it's not easy today to find a refrig without going to high end Lieberr and Sub zero to get one without. Good luck with your decision.

I'd send it back in a heart beat! Especially if it's not what you wanted and you'll never use it. We have an ice maker in the door, and I'll never go this route again. Yes it does take up some serious room inside, but more importantly, they are a serious PITA because they're always breaking! We've had to have the ice maker replaced at least 3 or 4 times, I've lost count to be honest. And not only do we have to go through the hassle of getting it repaired every time it breaks, but we have to keep an active warranty for it for when it breaks next time. We've come to the conclusion that the more computerized the refrige is, the more chances they have of breaking. So our next frige will be just a simple model. Send it back and you'll have no regrets, or better yet, if it's retailed for that much more, sell it on Craigs list and go repurchase the frige you wanted orginally!

I'm with Melanie on this one. Good luck with whatever decision you make

I don't like ice/water dispensers simply because I don't like the way they look for my style kitchen. However, we have one at the beach house and I must say it is very convenient, well used and loved by everyone who visits. The water is filtered, not ice cold (just how I like it) and tastes good too. It actually encourages one to drink more water, which for us is a good thing. So, you may want to rethink the features and whether or not you might come to like them. If not, return it and get the fridge you want.

I'd keep it and I use the features. At least try it out for a week. You might like having the ice/water dispenser. If you don't like it, then I'd return. But I'd take it for a test spin before I made a decision. Tell Sears that you want a few days to "trial" it before you decide. They'll let you do that.

Our fridge has water/ice through the door. I knew when I bought it we would not use it, but it was the only configuration offered in that particular unit (Samsung Quatro, which I LOVE). We didn't hook it up to water. I took all the parts of the ice maker out of the fridge so not much space is lost in the freezer. The shelf that used to hold the ice maker now has food on it. ;-) We still have all the parts if we ever do want it hooked up.

I've had an ice maker water dispenser in the door for at least 10+ years, never had one break, and the new one doesn't seem to take up too much room. Might be one of those things you learn to love, once you get used to it!! I think the quality and footprint inside of the icemaker itself in the fridge has improved over the years. The small space under our icemaker holds yogurts really well...

Do you use ice at all? Do you keep ice cube trays in your freezer? If so, you'll probably learn to love the ice dispenser. And having cold, filtered water come out of your fridge is pretty nice...and a lot better for the environment than bottled. I've never had an ice maker/dispenser break and we've had them for a very long time. But if it doesn't fit your lifestyle and you don't think you'll ever use it, OR you simply hate the way it looks then by all means insist they take it back! It will bug you forever if you don't.

My Sears fridge is 7 years old and I've never had a problem with the ice maker/water in door. We have hardwood floors and there is a small rug in front of the fridge (and the sink) for any little spills. Our water has a bit of iron in it and it tends to turn the dispenser a little pink/orange. It's not a big deal to wipe it out.

Our tap water tastes a little funky so we love the filtered water. We use tons of ice - hubby fills multiple water bottles each day for exercising and we make fresh iced tea and smoothies.

I think the plain front fridges look better, but the water/ice in door is a necessity at our house.

If there's the slightest chance you might come to enjoy these features, by all means keep the fridge and think of the great deal you're getting on Sears' dime. Which may get even better if you can squeeze an extended warranty or whatever out of them. Sounds as if you really don't have an interest in the ice/water dispenser though; I personally wouldn't keep an appliance that was not either what I really wanted or was not a desirable upgrade to what I wanted. Ice/water is an upgrade for some, but maybe not for you.

I do have ice/water dispensers in my fridge and would never want to be without (actually would prefer filtered water at my sink, next remodel perhaps). But manually filling ice trays? Never again if I can help it! Also, as was already pointed out, if you use ice at all, keeping trays and a bin pretty much negates whatever space an ice maker takes up.

One more thought...I haven't been fridge shopping for awhile, but $1400 seems like a big premium for ice and water. You said it has a better warranty, does it have other upgraded features you might like over the other model?

When I started shopping for a new fridge, I considered whether I wanted an icemaker. (I only had room for a small fridge, so no option of thru-the-door ice & water, just in the freezer.) I'd heard all the stories about icemakers breaking down, and I even considered that if the model fridge I bought came with one, maybe I wouldn't hook it up.

Now my icemaker is one of my favorite parts of my new kitchen, not too far after the dishwasher (and some people on this forum know how elated I am about *that*!). It's a delightful surprise - I had no idea how much I would like it! I do drink much more water at home now, delightful cold water with ice cubes in it. It's great!

So, IMHO, I think you should hook up the fridge and see if maybe the actual experience of having ice and water changes your mind. If after a while you decide you'd rather have the extra space inside the fridge, then I would do as someone else suggested and sell it on craigslist. Given the large price difference between the model you wanted and this model, you should at least get your money back.

And this gives you the possibility of not having to move the fridge at all and risk damaging your new floors. Seems worth a chance.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide to do!

If it really looks handsome sitting there, I'd keep it.

We got a gorgeous fridge at the Sears clearance center, never thought we'd be able to own such a high end appliance, but the price was right. It has an icemaker, which I also hate. So, we do not have it hooked up, and I took the whole thing out of the freezer, so have *almost* as much room in there as if it didn't have an icemaker. I find this solution most satisfactory and still, after five or six years, enjoy looking at my gorgeous high end refrigerator. It requires a little bit of extra work wiping the dust off the icemaker thingie on the exterior, but nothing serious. If you never use it for water, it won't get the oldie moldie stuff on it, or the streaks.

BTW about icemakers, I turned against them when (in a previous fridge) I saw the little reservoir in which the cool water is kept, and the bottom inch of it was all yucky sludge.